Philippe Dupuis

Dupuis figures to start the season in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre. Injuries to a number of players already in Pittsburgh might be the only way Dupuis finds his way to the Consol Energy Center. The centerman has six goals and 18 points in 116 career NHL contests. He has some offensive potential, but it would be unwise to suggest he represents anything more than a fourth-line forward with Pittsburgh.

Dupuis is one of those interchangeable parts that toils on the fourth line of just about every NHL team. It’s not that he’s without talent or desire -- he’s a lanky playmaker with a decent nose for the net. But his development curve stalled in the Columbus system (now there’s something that’s never happened before) and last year was his first full NHL season, albeit with the lowly Avs. His ceiling is a bit better than the 17 points and 40 PIMs he earned in 74 games last year. But then again, that’s a whole like a lot of other bottom-six NHLers. And there’s little value in that with a guy like Joe Colborne knocking on the door …

Dupuis had just a single assist in four games with the Avs last season, instead spending most of the year in the AHL with the Lake Erie Monsters, scoring 35 points (16G, 19A) in 68 games. It should be a similar story for Dupuis next season, as he is not expected to see any significant time with the big club other than as an injury fill-in.

The 24-year-old Dupuis played for AHL Lake Erie last season and was called up twice to get in eight games for the Avalanche. Dupuis led Lake Erie in points (46) and assists (29) in 67 games. Injuries plagued him earlier in his career, but he showed some promise last year and might be able to sneak his way into a roster spot this year.

Dupuis developed into a reliable scoring center over five seasons in the QMJHL, capping that stretch with 108 points for the Moncton Wildcats in 2005-06. However, injuries the past couple of seasons have prevented him from having an impact at the AHL level, which he needs to do before any NHL team will sit up and take notice. Expect another season in the minors for him this year.